'I am W&M' week celebrates campus diversity
Beginning tomorrow, the William & Mary community will celebrate the annual “I am W&M” week, which promotes diversity on campus.
Sponsored by the Student Assembly, the week will include a number of activities and speakers, including Glee star Lauren Potter.
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The events will start on Saturday with the second annual LGBTIQ Pride Festival from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Crim Dell meadow. The event, which will include representation from multiple student groups, will be followed at 9 p.m. with the Lambda Alliance’s Drag Ball, to be held in the Campus Center’s Trinkle Hall.
On Saturday, students will participate in Holi, the traditional Hindu festival of colors, at 2 p.m. in the Sunken Garden. The festival, hosted by the Hindu Student Association, will feature participants throwing colored water and powder on each other.
At 7 p.m. on Monday in the Sadler Center’s Commonwealth Auditorium, Lydia Brown, a disability rights activist and undergraduate at Georgetown University, will speak about the history of the disability rights and the neurodiversity movement.
The Miss Africa Pageant will be held Friday, April 12, at 7 p.m. in the Commonwealth Auditorium. Presented by the African Cultural Society, the event will include a competition for the title of Miss Africa 2013 and performances by student groups on campus.
There will be a Mosaic Block Party the next day on the Sadler Center Terrace.
On Sunday, April 14, Potter will discuss the “Changing Perceptions of Down Syndrome” at 1:30 p.m. in the Kimball Theatre. Potter, known for playing the character Becky Jackson in the popular television show Glee, will talk about her own experiences overcoming disability to become a successful actress and dancer. As a professional with Down Syndrome, she has been recently appointed to President Obama’s Commission on Intellectual Disabilities and speaks to the “Spread the Word to End the Word” Campaign to help other disabled people gain more opportunities in the work force. The event is free with a W&M ID, though non-W&M students and faculty may buy tickets for $10. There are limited tickets available for this event.
The final event of “I am W&M” week will take place on April 25 when Rappers Kendrick Lamar and Big Boi will perform at William & Mary for the first “I am W&M” week concert.
